ACHY BREAKY

Miley Cyrus’ Dad Reacts to Her Name Change After Family Drama

The father-daughter duo was estranged for years before she made the eyebrow-raising move.

Billy Ray Cyrus has revealed what he thinks about his daughter—now just known as Miley—dropping the last name he gave her.

Miley is the latest of pop stars going mononymous after changing all of her social media handles to just “miley,” and posting a new album promo photo with the caption “MILEY.”

The 65-year-old “Achy Breaky Heart” singer, who played her dad in the hit Disney show Hannah Montana, posted an old family photo of him with young Miley and her younger brother Braison on Instagram. In the caption, he wrote, “Family means more than ever now,” and that he always called his “little girl” Miley—“Just … Miley.”

Cyrus was previously estranged from her dad following his divorce from Miley’s mom, Tish, in 2022. But the two announced their reconciliation around mid-2025 after she wrote him a song called “Secrets” as a peace offering, which she said made him cry.

Billy Ray Cyrus continued in his caption about Miley’s name, saying he spoke with his daughter the day before her rebrand unveiling. He said he supports the now one-named Grammy winner in this next step, and brought up Miley’s late godmother Dolly Parton and her friend Cher as examples.

‘BENEATH THE GLAMOUR’

Miley Cyrus’s ‘Heart Aches’ for Late Godmother Dolly Parton

Reagin von Lehe

“It’s a natural progression for an iconic superstar legend,” Cyrus wrote. “I was just CYRUS before Achy Breaky Heart came out in 92. All of my swag and T-shirts only read. CYRUS SOME GAVE ALL with a picture of a POW MIA flag on it and the words .. ‘You are not forgotten.’”

He included a bit of a cheeky slight to his old record label, the Mercury Nashville division’s PolyGram Records, signaling his hope that one single identity might help Miley in her continued success.

“Now … if only Mercury / PolyGram would have just not insisted on the ‘Billy Ray’ part and just let me be CYRUS…… I could have done something!!! Ha ha !!! 🤣 All good. 👍🏼”

Play Video

33-year-old Miley dropped “Cyrus” from her stage name amid the upcoming release of her new album set for September 18, called “BASS PERSUADES.” She described the new 10th studio album in a cover story with Wonderland as “a love story,” both one that she shares with someone else and one of self-love. The romantic aspect likely centers on her fiancé, Maxx Morando.

Miley shared a teaser for the album’s first single, which drew appreciative comments. Even the Empire State Building’s official Instagram account played on the album name, commenting, “I AM PERSUADED.”

Fans also joined Miley’s dad in support of her, gushing that the move is iconic and expressive of this new era.

“She doesn’t need her last name to be recognizable—she’s just being MILEY,” one user commented on Miley’s name debut post. “20 years into her career and she keeps on evolving as an artist and breaking records. She’s one of a kind.”

Billy Ray Cyrus ended his long Instagram caption on the matter, saying he’s looking forward to her new album with “And the legend continues!”

Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.

Reagin von LeheBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.